Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

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Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003Appendix 6-DTips for Writing Advocacy Letters• Make your letter personal; petitions and mass-produced postcards receive little attention, buta hand-written or typed personal letter bears much weight.• Be specific - one concern per letter; be concise (one page maximum) and precise; cite aspecific piece of legislation if already introduce din House or Senate, such as --HR 235” orSB 100”.• Find out what committees your Representative or Senator is on. Address them on pertinentissues early on in the legislative process.• Be courteous and acknowledge achievements with gratitude. Be positive, avoid criticism.• Phone calls to the Washington office of the Senator or Representative are important whenvotes are imminent: state your name, city/town, your request for the legislator to vote aparticular way on a bill, Ask to speak to the particular legislative assistant for that issue;again, make your case concisely. How will this bill impact your congressperson’sdistrict/state or you as a constituent?• Write to your district offices of your senators and representatives. Your letter may get morenotice at the district office.• Write back to the Congressperson if his or her answer was vague, or you want to address thespecific staff member who works on your issue, or you want to THANK HIM OR HER.• Use electronic mail as you can, though your Congressperson is usually not able to write apersonal reply over e-mail.• You may contact any member of Congress, not just your own.• You may also contact Congress even if you are not an American citizen. The Constitutionrequires Congresspersons to represent everyone living in their constituency, not just citizens.REMEMBER: Your voice is heard and it counts! Your pleas and stories can change attitudesand votes--as well as support and reinforce. Staff workers in Congress often say that onepersonal letter represents 5.000 constituents!App.6-D-1
Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003Tips on Making Effective Personal VisitsWith your Senators and RepresentativesA personal visit with your U.S. Senators and Representatives at their offices can be excitingand rewarding. It can also cause anxiety if you have not done your homework A group visithas advantages, especially if you represent a broad base of people or an organization. The tipson effectiveness are the same. Good luck!Before the visit:• Make an appointment. The U.S. Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. Confirm the datelater. If the legislator is not available, meet with the appropriate aide. It can be a very usefulvisit.• Brief yourself about your legislator. Find out about his or her committee assignments,number of terms served, professional background, publicly stated views, and voting recordon issues of interest to you.• Define the objectives of your visit: is it to get acquainted or discuss something specific?• Limit the number of issues to be discussed• Know your facts and the issues surrounding them• Outline your views and comments in a written summary, which you can leave withyour Congressperson,• Things may change!• The legislator may not be there or have a schedule change. You can wait, rescheduleor meet with an aide.• The length of the visit may be 5 minutes or an hour!• For groups visit, decide beforehand who will be your spokesperson, introduce thegroup, the guide the conversation, and summarize the issue of concern.During the visit:• Set the climate by being on time, positive and friendly, and acknowledge areas of agreementand appreciation.• Talk briefly about yourself: where you live and how long you’ve been there, churchmembership, your volunteer service or education/occupation, your political involvement’s,the group you represent, and experience or expertise relevant to your discussion.• State the reasons for your visit:• Identify your position on the issues and make recommendations.• Be concise and specific.• Leave a written summary of your position along with a calling card and referencematerial.• Ask for related legislative materials such as copies and analyses of bills.• Be alert to other matters:• Get the names of staff persons assigned to your topic.App.6-D-2
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Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

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